Thomasîn von Zerclære
Thomasîn von Zerclære, born around 1186, is an early thirteenth-century poet best known for his didactic poem "Der wälsche Gast" ("The Italian Visitor"), composed in 1215. Hailing from an Italian aristocratic family in Cividale, Friuli, he was likely multilingual, with Italian as his first language and Middle High German as a secondary one. His work provides rich insights into the societal norms of medieval court life, addressing both men and women and reflecting his observations as a clerical figure closely associated with prominent ecclesiastical leaders. Thomasîn actively participated in significant historical events, including the coronation of Otto IV and the Fourth Lateran Council, suggesting a life intertwined with the political and cultural currents of his time.
"Der wälsche Gast" is notable for its linguistic blend, incorporating elements from Provençal and regional dialects, alongside references to classical and ecclesiastical authors like Boethius and Saint Augustine. The poem is recognized for its educational value and was popular in its time, preserved in numerous illuminated manuscripts featuring illustrations that Thomasîn likely endorsed. Despite its rambling style and some repetitiveness, the work remains a significant artifact for understanding the complexities of medieval German courtly society and the cultural exchanges between Italy and the German-speaking regions. Scholars estimate that Thomasîn likely died around 1235, holding a high-ranking clerical position at the time of his passing.
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Thomasîn von Zerclære
- Born: c. 1186
- Birthplace: Friuli, Italy
- Died: c. 1235
- Place of death: Aquileia, Italy
Biography
Best known for the early thirteenth century didactic poem Der wälsche Gast (1215; the Italian visitor), Thomasîn von Zerclære is fairly distinct among poets of the Middle Ages in that many details of his biography are known, mostly from his own inclusions in his poem. He gives his age as not yet thirty at the time of the work’s composition, placing his birthdate close to 1186. He attended the coronation of Otto IV as Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Innocent III in 1209, as a member of the entourage of Wolfger, patriarch of Aquileia. The Italian variant of his name, Tommasino dei Cerchiari, along with records from the Aquileia church, identify him as from an Italian aristocratic family from Cividale in Friuli, nearby to Aquileia, in northeast Italy near the present-day border with Slovenia. The family was among the landed nobility and perhaps knightly.
Thomasîn’s first language would have been Italian, and the Middle High German in which he wrote was likely his second language. Thomasîn likely also accompanied Wolfger to the Fourth Lateran Council, held in Rome in 1215. Thomasîn was undoubtedly a clergyman, and he likely served Wolfger as secretary, adviser, translator, and/or interpreter. Thomasîn’s openness with regards to courtly pleasures indicates that he was not ascetic. His death date is more obscure; although the church at Aquileia records his death and indicates that he held a clerical position of high authority at the time of his death, the records give no date. Scholars estimate he lived until the mid-thirteenth century, sometime around 1235.
Der wälsche Gast elucidates courtly societal norms for both men and women and is valuable not only as a window into German courtly society but also as a portrait of an individual from that culture, as the details of the scholar and poet who authored it are rich and significant. It is also of linguistic significance, composed by a native speaker of medieval Italian, written in formal, courtly Middle High German, but containing elements of Provençal and the Carinthia dialect spoken south of the Alps. The work also contains political insights: Thomasîn supported Frederick II against Otto of Brunswick (Otto IV) in the 1198 imperial elections, and he explicitely chastises the lyric poet Walther von der Vogelweide for his criticism of Pope Innocent III. The range of references in the work indicate a moderately high level of education for its author. Classical writers such as Boethius, Cicero, Seneca, and Horace appear, as well as Saint Augustine, John of Salisbury, Saint Isidor of Seville, and Saint Ambrose, to mention only the most widely known. More obscure authors such as Hildebert of Lavardin, Honorius Augustodunensis, Petrus Alfonsi, Guillaume de Conches, and Alain de Lille indicate that Thomasîn’s education was diverse, but his deployment of these authors is not highly sophisticated. Also, the work is often rambling and repetitive. Nonetheless, it was popular with its intended audience.
Der wälsche Gast is extant in twenty-four illuminated manuscripts dating prior to 1500 A.D. A total of 120 illustrations accompany the text in various manuscripts, and scholars believe Thomasîn saw and approved the illustrations. The text is not complete in any manuscript and has been pieced together by later scribes and editors, particularly Heinrich Rückert, the editor of the first modern publication in 1852.